Friday, June 19, 2020

The Cosmic Christ, or the Cosmic Logos?

John 1:1-5 NLT  In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He existed in the beginning with God.  (3)  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  (4)  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  (5)  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.


The Gospel of John explains that Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnate Logos. Jesus was/is the creator in the flesh. This message has cosmic implications. And today, with quantum mechanics it has even greater significance because, the language of the New Testament describes what can be quantified and tested. While Jesus is uniquely the Savior in Christian doctrine, the fact is that Jesus the Word is far bigger than that. This brings up a question however. What is the best term to describe this bigger than Christianity Jesus? Is the correct term the "Cosmic Christ" or is it the "Cosmic Word/Logos?" 

So many people today act as if Christ is Jesus last name. His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is the Greek word that means anointed/anointing. It is similar to the word Messiah in Hebrew. In fact, in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) in Isaiah 45:1 Cyrus is referred to as God's Christ. The word used is 'christou.' Then again when referring to King David as the Lords anointed Samuel refers to David as the Lord's Christ in the Septuagint (2 Samuel 1:14.) The point is that it was not the anointing that was the creative force of the universe. It was the Word/Logos. This makes me think that instead of referring to the cosmic Christ it is more accurate to say "Cosmic Word or Logos."

However, since the term Cosmic Christ has been made popular by Fr. Richard Rohr and Matthew Fox it is probably best to continue on with the concept of the Cosmic Christ. The concept is what is important anyway. It makes Christ even bigger than Christianity has made him. As the creative force of the universe, and in the fact that according to the author of Hebrews he is the powerful word that holds all things together. He is in all things and is therefore as interested in the Kosmos that he sustains as the people who occupy it. Therefore, it is incumbent on followers of Christ to protect and preserve the world we live in. In view of the Cosmic Christ it is Christian to be supportive of ecology preservation. 

The Apostle Paul is the one who introduced the Cosmic Christ though he did not introduce the phrase. This is a perfect description of the Cosmic Christ. Col 1:15-17  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  (16)  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  (17)  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. He is the creator of all things. That is things we can see and things we cannot see. This lines up nicely with the current scientific discovery of dark matter and dark energy. Dark energy is still expanding creation in the universe at this time in its history. 

The Cosmic Christ is at the center of the basic building blocks of the universe, the unseen energy that causes vibrating waves to become matter of substance. We do not diminish the importance of Jesus Christ in recognizing and proclaiming this. We actually substantiate the reality of the doctrine of the Logos. It is importance to understand that this Cosmic Christ made this statement in human form. "By this will all humans know that you are my disciples if you love one another." This Cosmic Christ made this statement while in human form as well. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." He said that all should love their neighbor as they love themselves. He said that we should do good to them that despitefully use us. He said we should turn the other cheek. He said that the most important deeds we could ever do was to give drink to the thirsty, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, and visit the sick and prisoners.

All of those things are things we are capable of doing if we simply put our minds to it. Likewise, we can cherish and guard the ecology of the planet we have been given dominion over.

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